Ad Astra a walk to the Folly
I am late this month posting to my blog. Since the turn of the year my schedule has been busy. Life has got in the way. I've been out and about , visited my old patch Goldcliff and flown my new FPV drone a few times. There has been things to do with Gwent Ornithological Society and we held the AGM where I presented one of my slide shows reviewing the year. Works been busy and I am back to the usual hustle and bustle.
I've also been waiting for something interesting to blog about. This weekend came my opportunity to kick off 2025 finally with something.
Storm Eowyn came rolling in over the North Atlantic from the West. It was to be one of the strongest storms to hit the UK - especially Ireland and Western Scotland. The remaining parts of the UK would experience strong winds and rain.
I must admit I was not particularly inclined on getting wet or walking where there are many trees so on Friday I spent the day off doing just the usual humdrum stuff out of the bad weather.
As the evening came I had itchy feet. Saturday I was going to be out all day and Sundays weather was looking shocking - there would be no opportunities for getting out with the camera - not unless I was dressed like a Navy diver.
Then I looked out at the night sky and saw that the clouds had pretty much parted and I could see the stars twinkling through the window.
That was all the encouragement I needed. In a flash, in my minds eye I could picture the Folly and Stars shining brightly above it.
I grabbed my astro camera kit - a Nikon D850 SLR ( " The beast") and a Samyang Astro 12mm lens. This combination of camera and lens has proved to be a good fit and something that I know how to use almost blindfolded.
I put on some warm clothing, a head torch and the last essential item - my tripod.
Five minutes later after shouting my goodbyes to the family, I jumped in to the car and "To the stars" - Ad Astra in latin - I went.
After a short car journey I parked up at the top of Folly Lane. I went to open the drivers door and it was then that I realised it was incredibly windy up there. I had a job to open the door. I managed to scramble out and walk to the boot and grab my kit and put on my trusty all weather wellies.
Head Torch on illuminating the path before me I walked with a gale blowing all around me. Rain and sleet was in the air swirling about me chilling me down to the bone. Ahead, my destination, stood the black silhouette of a tower below a star infested sky.
I stopped by the lone tree. Despite losing its third trunk in the last storm it remained in defiance of everything nature could throw at it. The end of its branches danced to the tune of the wind but it stood firm.
Huddling down I set up the tripod and mounted my camera on top. I had to use my body as a shield to stop it being blown over.
It was going to be a real battle long exposure photographs with all the wind and sleety rain. I took a few pictures and then had to move on to stay warm. I knew that up by the Folly it was going to be really blowing a gale.
The metal farm gates next to the gate to the tower were whistling a hauntingly creepy song that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end ( And I am someone thats never been scared of the dark).
I pushed through the gate and on I went, the stars were awaiting.
As I neared the stone sentinel I stopped again an set up the tripod and camera. The wind was so string I had to push the tripod legs down about an inch into the earth to ensure some stability and to prevent a wind blown catastrophe happening ( Years ago up the Folly I lost a lens due to my tripod falling over in a gust).
After a few adjustments I set the timer for 20 seconds , chose a spot, walked to it quickly and looked up at the Folly and the Heavens.
The view was magnificent but it would be relatively brief. A veil of clouds was sweeping in and threatened to spoil my view but worst of all was the biting wind. Despite my ski jacket and hat I was feeling it. My hands were frozen and it was getting uncomfortable. I stared up and took some more pictures.
I could see the red star - which was planet Mars and a really bright star in the South West - which was the planet Jupiter.
The constellations of Orion and Pleiades were visible with the naked eye. I could not see the planet Uranus - I would analyse my pictures later and see if I could find it.
The weather was on the turn for the worse. It was time for me to walk back to car. Despite it only being only a short distance it seemed to take an age when walking against the wind - I chuckled to myself when I climbed into the drivers seat out of breath - "Blair I thought your getting old , you've only walked a few hundred yards in a bit of wind - but I countered - I've been to the stars and back"
Epilogue
Stargazing and Astro is becoming my next obsession. I've been enjoying analysing my photographs and trying to map the planets and stars that I had observed using Stellarium.
Below are two of my photographs that I have mapped the stars and planets to the best of my knowledge. I don't think they are perfect and I may have made a few mistakes but I think they look pretty cool.
Its good to be writing again.
All the best to my readers for 2025.
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